Haren completes A's rout

David Bush, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PDT, Wednesday, June 1, 2005

Athletics starting pitcher, Dan Haren. The Oakland Athletics played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Ca., on Tuesday, May 31, 2005. Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The San Francisco Chronicle
Photo taken on 5/31/05, in Oakland,CA. less

Athletics starting pitcher, Dan Haren. The Oakland Athletics played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Ca., on Tuesday, May 31, 2005. Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The San Francisco ... more

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez

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Athletics starting pitcher, Dan Haren. The Oakland Athletics played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Ca., on Tuesday, May 31, 2005. Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The San Francisco Chronicle
Photo taken on 5/31/05, in Oakland,CA. less

Athletics starting pitcher, Dan Haren. The Oakland Athletics played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Ca., on Tuesday, May 31, 2005. Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The San Francisco ... more

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez

Haren completes A's rout

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Showing they can win more than one game in a row, the A's made it two straight Tuesday night when they again took care of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Coliseum, this time 10-1.

The offense, which has been in neutral for much of the year, came up with 10 hits, many of them in important spots. Recently arrived Dan Johnson got his first two Coliseum base hits and Jason Kendall also had a pair, as did Nick Swisher, who drove in four runs as the A's vanquished former nemesis Hideo Nomo, who had been seeking his 200th career victory (he had 78 in Japan).

But even the hitters conceded the biggest story of the night was starter Dan Haren, who limited the Rays to five hits in recording the A's first complete-game victory of the season. Tampa Bay scored in the second inning, and after that, did not get a runner as far as second base.

"After the fourth inning, I didn't throw anything but fastballs," Haren said. "I guess they were looking for the curve or the split, but they didn't see them."

His manager was certainly pleased. "He gave up just five hits, didn't walk anybody and got a couple of double plays, that's the way you do it," Ken Macha said.

Haren, acquired in the offseason as part of the Mark Mulder trade with the Cardinals, had lost his last six decisions. Encouragement from fellow starter Barry Zito kept his spirits up.

"He helped me battle through it," said Haren, whose only other victory this year came on April 18. "He encouraged me, told me that my stuff is good. Early in the year, I was pitching a little scared."

With the game safely in hand, Macha was ready to remove Haren after eight innings. The pitcher begged to stay in the game.

"I thought he had gone far enough, but he wanted to go back out there," Macha said.

Swayed by Haren's argument as well as his pitch count of fewer than 100, Macha relented.

"It is a great feeling," said Haren, whose only two pro complete games had come three years ago in the minors. "I hadn't been on the field for the last out, with all your teammates coming out to shake your hand."

Nomo had a 5-1 career record against the A's, including two victories this season. Last week, he held them to a run in seven innings, but on Tuesday, he was gone in the fifth.

"This time we were more patient," Macha said. "He wants you to swing at his high fastball or one in the dirt."

Macha had shuffled the batting order with Nomo in mind, moving Mark Kotsay to third for the first time this year, Eric Chavez to fourth and Marco Scutaro to second. Individually, the A's did their own things, most notably Bobby Kielty, who temporarily abandoned switch-hitting and went right-handed against Nomo. It paid off with a hit and a walk.

Swisher, who drove in the go-ahead run in the second inning and three more with a triple in the seventh, said he sensed the breakout coming 24 hours earlier. As the A's were rallying Monday night for the victory that broke their eight-game losing streak, Swisher said the team's mood was changing.

"I don't know what it was, but the momentum changed," he said. "It was like somebody flipped a switch."

That might be true, but the A's are still 13 games below .500. And these were the Devil Rays, who might have swept the A's last week but are 3-20 away from St. Petersburg, Fla. Aware of the circumstances, Kotsay was not about to declare the pennant drive under way.

"Yes, we have won two games in a row, and yes, we have been playing better," Kotsay said. "And I look forward to coming to the park tomorrow. But we've got a long way to go."